Checkmate 50 Amplifier

According to the trademark owned by the WMI Corporation (U.S distributor), the date for the first use anywhere and first use in commerce for the Checkmate name was February 9, 1966. The name was used on amplifiers and later on guitars and other instruments.

1966 Rose's ad from Mount Airy, NC

Fifty years ago our Rose's department store carried the largest selection of Teisco products in my area.

1966 Teisco Del Rey Logo and Warranty

According to the trademark owned by the WMI Corp. (U.S. distributor) the Teisco Del Rey name and logo was used in the United States for the first time in commerce and first time anywhere on July 29, 1964.

Teisco Spectrum 5 Guitars

During the mid to late 1960's a Spectrum 5 guitar could bought off the shelf for $89 or less in stores in my area. The Spectrum 5's I saw back then in my area had ebony fretboards and either had no badge on the headstock or they had the Teisco crown badge. The last new one I saw in the early 1970's had a $45 price tag on it. The Spectrum 5 was the "Cadillac" of Teisco guitars. According the trademark owned by WMI Corp. (U.S. distributor) the Spectrum name was used in the United States for the first time in commerce  on July 7, 1966.

1966 Teisco ads from Lowe's

1971 Teisco Guitar and Amplifier Ads

Teisco ET-220 Ad From 1972

Teisco ad from KMart in 1972.

1968 Ad For Teisco Guitars And Amplifiers

My Teisco Del Rey ET-210 Tulip

1965 Teisco Del Rey Ad

More Teisco Check Mate Amplifiers from the 1960's

Over the past 50 years or so, I have seen and/or played through at least 22 different numbered amplifiers offered in the Teisco Check Mate line. Those are CM- 8,10,12,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22, 23, 25,30,45,50,60,66,88,100 and 480. My first amp was a new CM-14 in 1966. My second was a CM-22 purchased used in 1971 for $50 in like new condition. My third Check Mate amp was a CM-10 I bought new in 1976 for $15 to use as a practice amp. I am trying to confirm all of the Teisco Check Mate amp numbers ever produced and the different styles and configurations in order to display them on this site. Here are a few more to add to the amps I have already posted.

1967 Ad for Teisco Del Rey Guitars

Teisco ET-200 with CM-66 Amp

This is a 1973 newspaper ad.

1970's Ad Featuring A Teisco Spectrum 5

In the early 1970's you could still find a new Spectrum 5 in my area. The last new one I saw back then had a price tag of $45. That was about half of what they sold for ($89) in the mid -1960's in our stores. I regret now that I did not buy one but I already had several guitars and amps at the time.

Some Check Mate Amplifiers From The 1960's

Teisco Del Rey Guitars ET-440, ET-320 and EB-200

This is part of a full page magazine ad from my collection.The 1965 magazine also includes a huge ad for Kay electric guitars and amps.

Teisco ET-312 with Check Mate 20 Amplifier

Teisco Check Mate CM-66 Amplifier

The CM-66 was introduced to the United States during 1968. From then until 1976 I saw a lot of CM-66's in stores and played through a few as well. Over the years not only did the appearance of the amps vary but there were other variations as well. Examples of some of those would be the number of inputs and speakers. Also the speaker sizes varied. Sometimes there was only one speaker. This was common with a lot of the Teisco amplifier models over the years. The department store chains must have bought Teisco equipment by boxcar loads. From what I have read on the internet, Teisco  products stopped being shipped to the US between 1969 and 1973 depending on what site you read. I bought one of the last CM-10 amps sold by our local Rose's store in late 1976 for $15 to use as a practice amp.

1969 Christmas Ad For Teisco Del Rey Spectrum Guitars

Teisco Del Rey Guitars From The 1960's

Two Checkmate Amps From 1971

1967 Teisco ET-312 and Checkmate Amplifiers

These images are from a 1967 mail order catalog in my collection and are presented here for historical purposes only.

Teisco Instruments At K Mart in March 1972

1972 Teisco ET- 200 Tulip Guitar

Checkmate 66 Amp and Teisco Guitars - Christmas 1970

1971 Teisco Guitars and Checkmate Amp

During the 1960's and 1970's, I saw and played many guitars made by Teisco and many different Checkmate amps. The amplifiers might be numbered anywhere from 8 through 100. Also depending on when they were made, the same numbered amp might look different or the speaker(s) size might vary in different years. Here are the Teisco electric guitars and one Checkmate amp sold by Radio Shack in 1971. We did not have a Radio Shack Store in Mount Airy until the late 1970's. I did see one of these amps either in Winston-Salem or Greensboro.
 If anyone has a better photo of the amp to confirm the correct number, I would appreciate it.

Teisco Spectrum Guitars

I believe the highest price I ever saw on any of the Spectrum line was $89.95 new in stores.

1968 Teisco Guitar Ads

1966 Teisco Guitar Ad

Teisco Guitars come to Burlington, NC in 1965

This is the earliest newspaper reference I have found for Teisco guitars in North Carolina.

Teisco Guitars Come to North Carolina

Between 1965 and late 1976, Teisco guitars and amplifiers could be purchased new in North Carolina stores. Among the stores carrying Teisco products were Lowe's, Rose's, KMart and Sky City. Teisco items could also be found in other stores that sold tv's, appliances and hardware. I saved up  $100 in 1966 in order to purchase an electric guitar and amplifier. The guitar was a Teisco Del Rey ET-210 and the amplifier was a Checkmate 14 with a 6 X 9 oval speaker. The amp had 3 inputs, with tremolo speed, strength, volume and tone controls mounted on top of the amp. The amp also came with a foot switch to turn the tremolo on/off. The sound from this little amp was crystal clear. On each end of the amp there was a chrome aluminum strip running along the top and front of the cabinet sides. After 1966, the CM-14's I saw had the controls mounted on the front. Some of those had either an 8 or 10 inch round speaker.